Improvement in corn-planters



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PARIS MILLS, 0F RIDGE FARM, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT lN CORN-PLANTERS..

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 40,423, dated October 27, 1863.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PARIS MILLS, of Ridge Farm, in the county of Vermillion and State of Illinois, have invented a new and Improved- Corn-Planter; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which-- Figure 1 is a side sectional view of my invention, taken in the line or 00, Fig. 2; Fig. 2, a plan or top view of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the two figures.

This invention consists in the employment or use of a roller, cutters, a seed-dropping mechanism, and covering-rollers, all arranged and applied in such a manner that corn may be dropped with accuracy and with great facility, and the machine at the same time be under the complete control of the operator.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my iuvention,I will proceed to describe it.

A represents a rectangular frame, in which a roller, B, is placed, said roller being formed in two sections or parts, a a, and placed loosely on one and the same shaft, or fitted permanently on separate shafts, which are allowed to rotate independently of each other. Each part a of the roller B has a groove, 1), made circumferentially and centrally in it; and O O are two cutters, which may be of steel, (that would be the preferable material,) and are fitted loosely at their front ends on a shaft or rod, D, the ends of which are fitted in brackets 0, attached to a bar, E, of the frame A. The cutters O G are of curved form, extending upward at their front ends, like sled-runners, and said cutters are fitted in the slots or grooves b in the roller 3, and extendbaek of the roller B, and each is divaricated or forked at its back end, as shown at d. On the back part of each cutter 0 there is placed a seed-box, F, the bottom of each of which is formed with a groove to receive the ends of a slide, G, which has a reciprocating movement imparted to it by means of a lever, H. The ends of the slide G are slotted longitudinally, each slot having a slide, 6, fitted in it, by adjusting which seed-boxes f, of greater or less capacity, may be obtained, as desired. The corn is dropped through a hole, g, in the bottom of each seed-box F, and to the inner surface of the inner side of each seed-box there is attached a hook, I, which extends down directly over the slide G, and within a short distance of it, as shown clearly in Fig. 1. This hook prevents the slide from drawing the corn away from the holes'g, through which it drops, and thereby insures a uniform dropping of the corn-an important feature in corn-planting machines. The back parts of the cutters (J 0 are connected by a bar, J, at each end of which a rod, K, is attached loosely, or so that they may turn or swing thereon. The back ends of these rods-5K are attached to the ends ofan axle, L, having a roller, M, on each end of it, said rollers having concave peripheries and being in line with the cutters O. The axle L has an upright bail-shaped bar, N, attached centrally to it, said her N passing through the back part of a droppers seat, O,the front part of which rests on one upright bar, h, on the back part of the framing A.

P is a lever, the front end of which is connected by a link, i, with the bar J. This lever has its fulcrum at the upper endof an upright, j, attached to the back part ofthe frame A, near the front end of the droppers seat 0. By pressing down the lever P the cutters may be raised out of the ground at any time.

The rods K are rather lower at their back than at their front ends, which causes, as the machine isdrawn along, the rollers M to be pressed upon the ground.-

O is the'drivers seat.

As the machine is drawn along the roller B smooths the ground, while the cutters G will divide all weeds and trash which may be in their paths. The seed is dropped through the divaricated ends of the cutters O, and is cov ered by the rollers M.

The whole arrangement is extremely simple and efficient, due provision being made to obviate any diftlcultyon account of obstructionssuch as weeds, trash, &c.-the cutters U, in connection with the'roller B, effecting this result, the roller pressing the weeds down upon the ground, so as to insure the proper action of the cutters,while the proper planting of the seed is insured on account'of the hooks I, which prevent the seed being drawn from the discharging holes 9 under the movement of the slide G. The arrangement, also, of the rollers M insures a perfect covering of the seed, as

Patent, is-

'1. The combination of the grooved roller B, cutters G O, seed-boxes F F, provided with the slide G, and the covering rollers M, all arranged as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The hooks I, secured to the inner side of the seed-boxes F, and arranged in relation with the seed-slide G, as and for the purpose herein set forth.

PARIS MILLS.

claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Witnesses:

SAMUEL WEEKS, ISAAC LARRANGE. 

